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not being able to produce a grandson - the consequences can sometimes be dire, as
demonstrated by the extreme practice of 'bride burning', wherein a wife is doused with
flammable liquid and set alight. Reliable statistics are unavailable, but some women's
groups claim that for every reported case, roughly 300 go unreported, and that less than
10% of the reported cases are pursued through the legal system.
Although the constitution allows for divorcees (and widows) to remarry, relatively few
reportedly do so, simply because divorcees are traditionally considered outcasts from so-
ciety, most evidently so beyond big cities. Divorce rates in India are among the world's
lowest, despite having risen from around seven in 1000 in 1991, to roughly 12 in 1000 in
2012. Most divorces take place in urban centres and are generally deemed less socially
unacceptable among those occupying the upper echelons of society.
In October 2006, following women's civil rights campaigns, the Indian parliament
passed a landmark bill (on top of existing legislation) which gives women who are suffer-
ing domestic violence increased protection and rights. Prior to this legislation, although
women could lodge police complaints against abusive spouses, they weren't automatically
entitled to a share of the marital property or to ongoing financial support. The new law
purports that any form of physical, sexual (including marital rape), emotional and eco-
nomic abuse entails not only domestic violence, but also human rights violations. Perpet-
rators face imprisonment and fines. Under this law, abused women are legally permitted to
remain in the marital house. In addition, the law prohibits emotional and physical bullying
in relation to dowry demands. Critics claim that many women, especially those outside In-
dia's larger cities, are still reluctant to seek legal protection because of the social stigma
involved. And despite the good intentions of the law reforms, the conviction rate for
crimes against women remains relatively low; around 25% in 2011 as compared to 45% in
the 1970s.
According to India's National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crimes against women
have jumped by 7.1% from 2010 to 2011, with an increase in the number of rapes reported
too. Human rights analysts say that many sexual assaults go unreported, largely due to
family pressure and/or shame, especially if the perpetrator is known to the family. The
NCRB reported that 228,650 of the total 256,329 violent crimes recorded in 2011 were
against women. Of these, 8,618 were dowry-related deaths, 24,206 were rape (an increase
of 9% from the previous year) and 42,968 were molestation.
Following the highly publicised brutal gangrape (and subsequent death) of a 23-year-
old Indian student in Delhi in December 2012, tens of thousands of people protested in the
capital and beyond, demanding swift government action to address the country's escalat-
